NCACPA called on each member of North Carolina’s U.S. House delegation to cosponsor H.R. 3855, the Accounting STEM Pursuit Act. The bill recognizes accounting in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) curriculum under the technology field.
H.R. 3855, introduced by Reps. Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Victoria Spartz (R-IN), would allow for federal funding to be used to strengthen accounting education in K-12 schools, particularly by providing high-quality accounting programs and courses for students who are members of groups underrepresented in the accounting profession.
As the accounting profession considers its future, finding and retaining qualified staff are consistently among the top issues facing CPA firms of every firm-size segment and among businesses that employ CPAs.
In a letter to federal lawmakers, NCACPA wrote, “CPAs and others that work in the accounting profession utilize technology skills in areas that are integral to the audit function as well as other services for American businesses, including IT auditing (which demands high-level technology knowledge and skills to evaluate IT infrastructure), artificial intelligence, blockchain, data analytics, forensic and predictive accounting, and cybersecurity.”
NCACPA will continue to work with AICPA to secure bipartisan cosponsorship of H.R. 3855 in an effort to encourage the House Education and Labor Committee to take action the bill.
If you have questions about this issue or other policy matters, please contact NCACPA Director of Advocacy Robert Broome, CAE.